2 Climbers Dead on Les Droites

After storm traps them

Two climbers have died on the north face of Les Droites in the French Alps after becoming pinned down by a snowstorm. The unidentified alpinists were attempting to climb the Lagarde Couloir when they took refuge from the storm in a snowcave.

While high winds prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching them, the two stayed in contact with authorities in nearby Chamonix via mobile phone; on Friday, one of the climbers told police that his partner had died. During a flyby on Saturday, high-mountain rescue personnel saw a climber dangling on a rope outside the cave and ascertained that he was dead. Rescuers said they would attempt to retrieve the bodies as soon as conditions stabilized.